US President Donald Trump has come racing out of the gates in his second term in office, slashing government agencies, launching trade wars with friends and foes alike and even taking on the judiciary over his immigration crackdown.
The Republican’s approval rating has sunk since returning to the White House — but his supporters could not care less.
Here are five Americans who voted for Trump telling AFP in their own words why, despite the tumultuous first 100 days of his reign, they continue to support the unconventional billionaire.
Frank Tuoti feels the economy ‘will work out’
So far, I’m very satisfied with the job he’s doing,” said Frank Tuoti, a 72-year-old retired machinist from New Hampshire.
I am a little concerned about the economy with his tariff, his new tariff policies, but I’m hoping that it will work out,” he added, noting that his retirement investments have lost money due to stock market volatility.
Tuoti is likely in the minority here, with a recent Fox News poll finding 56 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s economic policies.
I think it will work out in the end,” Tuoti continued.
He’s negotiating with a lot of different countries… and one thing he does know about is money, and making money.”
Jane Sisk sees Trump having a ‘hard time’ on Ukraine
A retired mother of six, Jane Sisk also told AFP she had not checked her 401k retirement account recently “because I don’t want to get upset.”
I loved everything that he’s doing,” the 63-year-old Virginia resident said.
Nevertheless, she recognized Trump has had trouble with landing his promised end to the war in Ukraine: “I think we got two very stubborn leaders that don’t want to give up on anything to, you know, let the war end.
And I think, I think Trump and JD Vance both have done just about everything they can.
Trump is the art of the deal,” she continued. “But he’s having a hard time making a deal on that one, I will say!”
Karen Miner, unbothered about tariffs
Across the country, Karen Miner owns a wine store in Reno, Nevada.
Her merchandise is mostly imported and could be impacted by Trump’s escalating trade war — though she seems unconcerned at the moment.
You can’t do numbers yet, because essentially, we don’t know what those tariffs are going to be, because it’s still in negotiations,” Miner, 57, said.
They can always buy wines from the United States,” she added.
Only nine percent of Trump voters currently disapprove of his actions, according to the latest New York Times/Siena College poll.
I mean, the guy is very brilliant, he knows what he’s doing,” Miner said.
Christy Edwards applauds Trump’s immigration iron fist
Christy Edwards, a retired teacher in North Carolina, said she supports Trump across the board — especially immigration, where the US leader’s mass deportations of illegal immigrants have faced challenges in the courts.
Those are the kind of people we don’t need in the United States,” the 54-year-old said.
He’s not deporting people who have not caused any problems. He’s deporting the criminals,” Edwards continued.
Edwards also firmly rejected the use of public funds for immigrants: “We can’t support that right on, especially as working people, we’re the ones paying for all that.”
Zack Kline wonders ‘how it’s going to change’
A 22-year-old resident of York, Pennsylvania, Zach Kline noted Trump’s return to office has already caused some changes, such as a lower number of crossings at the southern US border, calling it “very refreshing to see.”
But a lot of things haven’t changed too much as of right now, so I’m just anxious to see how it’s going to change,” Kline said.
He expressed excitement for certain promises Trump has made, such as allowing fracking and “cutting down on a lot of the waste that we have in our government.”
It’s kind of a wait-and-see because it’s only been 100 days,” he said.
